About Us

The Danny Vegh’s Story:

An American Dream

Hungarian Boys Table Tennis Champion 1948

US Singles and Doubles Champion 1960

Touring Showman 1962-63

Danny Vegh is the founder of our over 50 year old family-owned company. He was born in Budapest, Hungary back in 1933 to a family that had its fair share of struggles. Danny grew up in a 1 bedroom home with 3 other siblings and his mother and father. The circumstances of his upbringing were rather extreme. To this day Danny walks into our stores and counts the number of light bulbs because he remembers a light bulb to be a luxury; having his first one at age 16 finally replacing a kerosene lantern.

Down the road from Danny’s childhood home was a small church that had a ping pong table that was free for the neighborhood kids to use. Danny quickly grew in love with the sport and the sport of table tennis loved him back. The game gave him a way to let out his childhood frustrations, harness his competitive spirit all while advancing his skills to the point where in 1948 he was crowned the Hungarian Boy’s Table Tennis Champion. Danny was 15 and was on the road of discovery. The game of ping pong and its tournaments gave young Danny the platform to realize that there was another world outside of what he was born into, a world that he could set out to conquer.

Fast forward to 1956 when the Hungarian Revolution began, Danny was 23 years old and had an appetite for freedom. He left Hungary and risked his life to finally end up in the United States. He came to the United States penniless and without an understanding of the English language. All Danny had was his toothbrush, 1 change of undergarments, his ping pong paddle and 2 ping pong balls.

Despite the humble beginnings, Danny made a huge success out of himself! By 1957 he became the Ohio Table Tennis Champion. By 1958 he won the Eastern US Table Tennis Championship and by 1960 Danny was named the US Singles and Doubles US Champion of Table Tennis! Danny was a legend.

In addition to Danny’s incredible journey as a sportsman, he was also a charming entertainer! He spent nearly 2 years traveling the country and putting on table tennis exhibitions at colleges, large malls, half time shows etc. One of Danny’s most proud accomplishments is that despite his humble beginnings he was able to create a name for himself that landed him on National TV 48 times including The MichaelDouglas Show and even The Tonight Show.

Once Danny decided to put his roots down and stop his constant traveling he made his home in Cleveland, Ohio. To this day if you ask him where he is from his response is always Cleveland first. He fell in love with the city and started his first business in the heart of downtown on Euclid Avenue in the former Hippodrome Building back in 1963. He opened a table tennis club first, then a pool hall and later a dedicated retail store which has subsequently grown into a small chain.

It’s no real surprise that Danny Vegh’s as a company is filled with heart…just like our founder! Our mission is to Preserve Our Reputation in Everything That We Do! What this means to our staff is that we have genuine respect and appreciation for every opportunity we are afforded. Every customer interaction is important to all of us…..we know that we represent the journey of Danny and many other trailblazers of the past. Due to the opportunities we have been afforded by Danny’s journey to the United States we focus on offering mostly American made products that are of a high quality. We believe that if we work hard and stay true to our humble beginnings our company will succeed no matter the odds. Danny Vegh’s is the living proof that the American Dream is real.